Evaluation of oral health behavior, knowledge and attitude among dental and nursing preclinical students

Aim: This study aimed to assess and compare the sociodemographic characteristics, oral health behaviors, knowledge, and attitudes of first- and second-year students from the Faculty of Dentistry and the Nursing Department. Methods: In the study, a 26-item questionnaire, consisting of the "Hiroshima University Dental Behavioral Inventory (HU-DBI)" and an additional six questions, was distributed to the dental and nursing students of Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University. Students were requested to voluntarily complete the questionnaire. Results: Total HU-DBI scores were analyzed based on participants' gender and year of education. No statistically significant difference was found in the total HU-DBI scores with respect to gender or year of education. However, it was observed that first-year nursing students had the highest HU-DBI scores (5.85 ± 1.46). The percentage of nursing students who agreed with the statements “I brush each of my teeth carefully” (p = 0.006) and “I put off going to a dentist until I have a toothache” (p = 0.002) was statistically higher than that of dental students. The percentage of second-year dental students (9.1%) who agreed with the statement “My gums tend to bleed when I brush my teeth” was lower than that of second-year nursing students (42.0%). Conclusion: The results of this study show that the behaviors and attitudes of dental and nursing students, who would guide and contribute to the future oral health of the society, should be enhanced.